Archive for the 'Gays In The Military' Tag Under 'Letters To The Editor' Category

-SAN CLEMENTE, Bill Robinson: There is one simple solution to the WikiLeaks leaks. Reduce the amount of classified information. The more classified material, the greater the number of people who require access and the more targeted that information becomes.

An example: In the 1960s, I served in the Army. I wrote reports on the governments and infrastructures of countries that we might possibly have to go into. As a 22-year-old know-it-all I peppered my reports with observations of people and infrastructure that was less than flattering. Everything I wrote was classified.

If these reports were not classified, they would have disappeared into the mountains of military information. But being classified, they would have been the target of someone trying to get secret material. Had they been leaked like the current information, a kid could have started an international incident through ill-considered remarks.

-SANTA ANA, Larry Smith: Legislation repealing the “don't ask, don't tell” policy has turned the U.S. military into a new front for social and cultural experimentation, which is not in the public interest.

Stealing the language of the civil rights movement, homosexual activists have succeeded in making a flawed comparison between racial discrimination and homosexual sexual acts; even though it is a comparison without merit. Membership in a racial category is a status; homosexual sexual practices are voluntary sexual actions. These actions have been defined and condemned as immoral by every society in history up until the present because they close the sex act to the gift of life.

No one with any moral foundation who accepts the existence of fundamental human rights supports discrimination against any human people, including those with same-sex attraction. That is not what is at issue here. The intent of this legislation is to enforce a societal acceptance of homosexual, bisexual and lesbian sexual relationships as morally equivalent to opposite-sex marriage – or face the police power of the state. This is legally and socially dangerous as marriage can only be defined as the union of one man and one woman.

-HUNTINGTON BEACH, Greg Groh: We should all thank WikiLeaks for bringing to the surface our vulnerability to cyberwarfare [“WikiLeaks vs. real cyberwar”; Things we shouldn't have had to learn from WikiLeaks,” Commentary, Dec. 19]. Articles in Sunday's Register paint a chilling picture of America's vulnerability to cyberattacks and the apparent indifference of our federal government to this state of affairs. While other major nations are not only preparing to defend against cyberattacks but are devoting considerable resources to develop offensive capability in this area, the United States is doing little or nothing.

Perhaps this is just another manifestation of the administration's distaste for America's status as a “superpower,” which has resulted in aggressive efforts to reduce our nuclear capability and to appease terrorist nations (who will hate us no matter what we do). China, North Korea, Iran, Russia and a host of other nations are eager to see the United States toppled from “superpower” status.

I hope we soon have people in positions of leadership who want to make it more difficult for our enemies to topple us, starting with establishing supremacy in cyberwarfare.

-IRVINE, Chuck Feeney: ‘Don't ask don't tell' is a semi-polite way of saying: “Stay in the closet, we don't want you to come out.” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the man who could have been president, has been offensive in his views on repealing this law. A couple years ago, McCain said that he wouldn't consider repealing the law until the military brass had decided that it was in the military's best interest to do so. They did that, but then McCain said it wasn't good enough and they needed to do a year-long study and ask the troops.

That happened and 70 percent of the military respondents said they did not mind if gays served. So now McCain has said the study didn't ask the right questions. It seems rather odd that McCain doesn't realize that our military is not a democracy.

Try looking up the definition of “bigot” in the dictionary. Many of those that support ‘don't ask don't tell' are bigots, plain and simple. It's time for people with such biased views to develop some common sense.

-IRVINE, Laurella A. Cross: If you want to have a good in-your-face look at our future under Obamacare, just read The Register article Dec. 14 entitled “States make unkind Medicaid cuts.” The poor have become totally dependent on government for all their needs, including medical care, and now they live with rationing and denial of even basic care.

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Our politicians do us no favor when they “give,” for eventually the money runs out, and they must out of necessity take it away. In the meantime, people have become unwilling, or unable, to fend for themselves, having become dependent creatures instead of full-fledged adults taking care of their own needs.

To exacerbate the problem, government intervention in the marketplace destroys the ability of the capitalist system to produce the goods and services needed for the people, as in the case of the poor today who are denied care by doctors, who have become short in supply for such people.

-SEAL BEACH, Joe Siler: Clearly, homosexuals deserve the same rights as everyone else. But this military stuff is complicated. The military is 24 hours a day, with common barracks and showers. Youthful hormones and sexual tensions are at a peak. We acknowledge this by separating the men and women. But what about gays? Do we put them all together in a fun barracks? Or do we scatter them around so a few “couples” can carry on in each barracks? Some straights fear being ogled in the shower.

Here is a good test of your view. Should military men and women share the same barracks and showers? If you answer “yes,” you may have a lot of young military support. If you answer “no,” how is that different from the gay situation? Maybe, “don't ask don't tell” is very wise.

-PLACENTIA, Jason Jobe: Regarding the article, “McCain dismisses study on gays in military” [News, Dec. 3]: It's good to know that gays support the War on Terror but if worse comes to worse and they are able to serve openly with their sexuality, then let's keep it at that, support.

As an infantry Marine myself, I personally do believe in Sen. John McCain's claims that a change in “don't ask, don't tell” would hurt the combat elements serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It would possibly weaken our military's appearance as a whole. Grunts (Infantrymen) are a breed apart from the rest, and as one I can assure anyone that all of the grunts in the Marines and Army would agree that gays would not fit in.

There are rules, and just like women aren't allowed in combat duties, neither should gays be allowed. If the law is passed and gays are allowed to serve and want to be attached to a supporting element then good for them, just stay away from the infantry.

-CYPRESS, Bob Barber: I want to express my support for the elephant rides at the Santa Ana Zoo. My wife and I are zoo members, and we often visit with our 2 1/2-year-old daughter. Our visit today was especially memorable because our daughter rode an elephant for the first time. She was so excited to see an elephant in person, and even more excited to ride one.

It is my sincere wish that the Santa Ana Zoo and Santa Ana City Council do the right thing and not cave to the outlandish and baseless demands of PETA.

Their solution to any animal attraction is to have it banned and thereby remove the educational experience from kids and adults alike.

LA PALMA, Gordon Wong: The newly formed debt panel suggested that immediate retirement pay for active-duty military members after 20 years should end. Retirement pay instead would start at age 62 for those with 10 years of service, age 60 for those with 20 years, and age 57 for those with 30 years. Retirees could get paid sooner if they accept a 5 percent penalty for each year of early payment.

President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, who rescued two members of his squad in Afghanistan. If Giunta serves for 20 years, should this courageous soldier be rewarded by having to wait to age 60 to receive his retirement pay?

Our son is a USAF pilot and has spent months away from his family to serve his country. He has been involved in several wars and served his country well. He is nearing his 20 years of service and now is faced with the possibility of not drawing any retirement pay until age 60.

Members of Congress can retire after serving only one term and receive full retirement pay. How does that honor men and women who put their lives on the line for our country? This brazen inequity is just wrong.

I start each day by reading the Register's letters to the editor. I learn where people stand on issues so crucial to our cities, state, federal government and just everyday concerns. What amazes me most is how the majority of writers lack facts in their opinions. It seems like “facts” no longer matter to us. We “spin” words to suit our ideas. Democrats and Republicans alike no longer want to “own up” to the truth. We blame the other side, because we believe we could not be part of the problem.

Come on, people, do a reality check. Both major parties and Independents are responsible for the mess we are in. Spending like drunken sailors has been going on for 30 to 40 years. Politicians at the local, state and federal levels have fleeced us like sheep. Our pockets are now empty, and has the spending slowed down? These legalized robbers find new ways to raise “fees” to keep the dollars rolling in so they can keep spending.

Until citizens hold everyone in charge of spending our tax dollars accountable for their actions, we will continue to have the government we now support. It is our responsibility to be educated when we vote. When we stop this “I'm a Democrat – I'm a Republican” nonsense, maybe we will start to return government officials back to their proper roles of being diligent with our money.

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